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Rule and guidelines - Clarification. January 30, 2009.

In preparation for some new events, C2E administration is reviewing several aspects of our forum.

We undertook this effort over a week ago as many senior members were sending report posts on several issues and demanded clarification.

Please read the following carefully.

Please note that these are more clarifications than additions.

Terms of Service Rule #2: Criticizing an idea is encouraged, but criticizing the person who posted it is absolutely not.

Attacks on a person's character will not be tolerated and may be grounds for suspension of posting privileges. The principal function of C2E is the expression of ideas, information, opinions, suggestions, analysis – generating interest in, and discussion about, anything and everything Edmonton. Criticism of an idea is encouraged, but criticizing the member personally, either publicly or through a Private Message (PM) is absolutely not. Offenders will be subject to bans, either temporary or permanent if the behaviour persists, and there will be no exceptions.

As well, C2E will no longer tolerate any publicly-communicated suggestion of moderator, administrator, or steering committee malfeasance, ignorance, or apathy, without full documented proof. Personal attacks against a group of persons, in this case the moderators and administrators, is contrary to Terms of Service rule #2.

Up to now, the moderator team has been liberal and generally conciliatory in the handling of one-on-one concerns, and it will continue to deal with these on an independent basis. At the same time, several references have been made in public regarding general administration and moderation ineptitude and malpractice, which is unacceptable.

There are many ways of getting in touch with administrators/moderators. If you have issues with the forum's administration, please write to [email protected] or send a Private Message (PM) to Admin. These notes are read at the administration level (6 people) with differing backgrounds and interests, but with a common assumption that each letter has a kernel of truth to it. We do listen and try to react appropriately.

As of today, any PUBLIC attack on C2E will be met with an appropriate moderator response intended to discourage and halt such attacks.

The private message (PM) forum is just that: private. There is an assumed level of intimacy or confidentiality there, and moderators will protect that. The terms of service also demand that everyone's privacy be respected, and that includes the PM area. Any member caught forwarding private messages onward to a third party without first informing the other party will be immediately banned.

The only PM's that will be shared are PM's to the moderators involving questions about the forum, and for this, it is advisable that you PM the Admin username to avoid any confusion to where you want a one-on-one conversation.

Forwarding PM’s other than as described here is a direct violation of Terms of Service rule #4. This is a pre-existing rule that currently is being flagrantly abused, and enforcement is as of now 100% retroactive; however, the administration will use discretion depending on the frequency and severity of the previous offences.

Rule #5 - Each forum member may have only one account unless an exception is granted by moderators - Re-enforcement

With the recent rash of members signing up with multiple usernames, this rule needs to be re-enforced. Multiple usernames are not permitted without moderator/administrator approval. Since C2E is a forum that allows users to be anonymous, and there is a overriding membership belief that the posts - and not the poster - are the key to effective communication, one way for this forum to "get to know you" is through your ideas and your posts and your username.

Multiple usernames dilute this uniqueness; as well as it is fundamentally dishonest to the rest of the membership. That said, there are instances where multiple usernames have been given to members who stop using an old one but wish existing posts to stand (converting from known to anonymous, for example, or vice-versa), usernames to Candidates for Election who are members as well, and test usernames for administrators to ensure that the forum is working as designed from a member point-of-view.

The administration/moderator team has a variety of tools for detecting posters with multiple pseudonyms, and is aware of several current offenders. We have permanently banned the "Dakine" alias in the past, so as precedent is set, anyone caught with multiple usernames without having secured the proper authorization will be banned. Since this is a time for new beginnings, however, the ban will be temporary, the duration being dependent on the nature of the use of the alternate usernames. Again, if you feel the need to have more than one username, PM the Admin, and we will look into it for you.

Rule #7 - No commercial-oriented posts (spam), and no flooding with useless content or content designed to engage readers into attacks or flooding other forums - Clarification

C2E is a forum that promotes civility and decorum. We have been fairly open with our discussions and we love exuberance. But we have seen an increase in "report posts" on specific behaviours, including spam style postings, a general loss of decorum, where debate has been replaced with deliberate attempts to flame members and promote posts designed to provoke a moderator response. In response, moderators will become more assertive with those posters who continue to ignore member and moderator coaching to reduce or change behaviour.

C2E aims to be a place where discussion and contribution are the norm. There are plenty of sites out there where you can throw sheep, debate celebrity eye colour, speak in tongues, etc. C2E's audience and the people we are trying to connect you to demand a higher standard of discourse, and we aim to foster a community that fills this niche.

Linking to other forums, blogs, and discussion sites is allowed as long as there is a link back to the Connect2Edmonton topic you posted in. Posts that do not follow this rule are subject to moderation and removal, with the user recieving an initial warning, and banning upon subsequent infractions.

Rule #13 – When posting newspaper articles, only post the first 150 words followed by a link to the article's source – Amendment, Extension, and Clarification.

Clarification February 1, 2009.

In the interest of copyright, clarity, and confirmation of the source, all posts referencing documents must contain some manner of citation regardless of their origin or considered in the public domain. Many people do not know the source, and in order for this site to be taken seriously it is expected that if you are quoting a source, you provide a verifiable reference therein. We are not looking for APA or other style guide conformity; a simple link to an online article or source website is sufficient. If there is contact information provided, that contact information is expected to be included.

This practice is to demonstrate that no relevant information has been altered in any way from the source documentation. It also prevents misinterpretation of the information as the views, opinions, and efforts of the username posted vs. the original author of the information provided. Furthermore, it establishes C2E’s credibility as one that is respectful of the source's work, the source's messaging, and ensures that all traffic and official clarification requests are directed properly. It is more than simple courtesy to provide a reference to your source documentation, it is becoming a demand of the individuals and organizations people here reference.

If you are providing second hand information, rumor, conjecture, or your own point of view, please indicate it as such.

Posting Guideline #1 – Posting Images- Addendum

Hotlinking (the direct linking of images to another site/server that you do not own or control) is discouraged. Already we have had complaints from image owners and server admins about our allowing this practice. Many image owners and administrators see hotlinks as theft, and deal with it as such. This in turn exposes C2E to potential legal action.

Images you would like to post need to be hosted at a place you control and the images need to have the copyright information and contact included. Photobucket, Flikr, and others are available for your use, and are free. C2E is investigating the possibility of having users host images on our server, but that option is well into the future.

We will not actively moderate this issue as the tools to link to free sites are the same as the ones needed to link to private servers; however, any and all requests made by external server admins and copyright holders will be honoured immediately, and a first offence will result in a warning; multiple offences will lead to temporary or permanent bans.

This policy is effective immediately and is 100% retroactive upon initial receipt of a complaint from a server/copyright holder and a member's refusal to modify existing hotlinked images. Copyright holders and server admins who do not complain about existing images will result in no action being taken.

As well, when posting images, be considerate of people who have slower computers and connections than you. Try and keep large galleries off site or else at least warn of the size in the thread title, If there are many images.

Posting Guideline #2: Grammar and Syntax

All posts should utilize, to the greatest extent possible, proper grammar and syntax.

Thread titles should use proper case and punctuation. All caps (THREAD TITLE), no caps (thread title), and excessive punctuation (Thread Title!!!!!!!) should be avoided. C2E aims to be a place where new, recent and long-time Edmontonians can come for information, discussion, dissemination and collaboration on issues, victories, and challenges the city and its denizens face. As this has become one of the main sites Google presents when searching on Edmonton, there is an intrinsic desire to represent the city for all to understand and enjoy.

We are not asking for the perfection of the Queen's English, but “ROTFLOL IZ THINK U R KEWL/ xoxox” is not what we have in mind either. If you are unsure of what you want to type or unsure of a word’s spelling, type your response in a program with spell check, or use a browser with a spell check option. While this is not a topic for moderation, do not be surprised if members attempt to coach you on this.

Thank you for reading this, and for your understanding We hope you appreciate that C2E is trying to be the best discussion forum on Edmonton, full of intelligent, thoughtful posters contributing ideas and thoughts about how our place on this planet can really be, to paraphrase a former mayor, one of the best cities in the best province in the best country in the world.